GTA 6 Countdown Is On

 

One of the most eagerly anticipated video game releases of recent times - the sixth edition of the Grand Theft Auto franchise - will take place in autumn 2025, its publisher says. Take-Two Interactive, parent company of developer Rockstar Games, made the announcement during its latest earnings call. Interest in GTA 6 is huge: the trailer for it has had more than 190m views on YouTube since it was released by Rockstar in December after being leaked online. Gaming industry analyst Piers Harding-Rolls told the BBC the long development time meant it was set to come to market "as the most expensive game ever made". "Rockstar is known for lengthy game development cycles as it strives to perfect its games before they are released but the wait for GTA 6 has been longer than ever," he said. He added the continued success of GTA 5 had eased pressure on Rockstar to rush out a less polished successor. Even though it has been more than 10 years since Rockstar released GTA 5, the game continues to be a key source of revenue for Take-Two. In its call with investors on Thursday, it disclosed it had sold 200 million units worldwide to date, with its audience size growing by 35% last year. That means it is still the second best selling video title of all time, behind Minecraft.

GTA 6

Swiftonomics

 

Taylor Swift's Eras Tour will boost UK spending by almost £1bn this year, with more than a million fans gearing up to see the pop sensation perform live, new data suggests. Spanning six continents, the tour will hit the UK for 15 dates in June and August, with fans expected to spend an average of £848 on tickets, travel, accommodation and outfits, according to Barclays. The bank's report is the latest example of so-called "Swiftonomics" - highlighting the singer's economic influence. When tickets for the Eras Tour went on sale last year, it crashed websites and led to sold-out hotels in host cities around the world. The report from Barclays combines hundreds of millions of customer transactions with consumer research on spending trends around the popstar. It said the average amount spent on an Eras Tour ticket was £206, with 14% of fans spending more than £400 on perks, including VIP packages and exclusive merchandise. Travel costs will average £111 as many fans will be travelling to a different city for the event. Eras Tour performances will take place in Edinburgh, Liverpool, Cardiff and London. Fans will also fork out an average of £121 on accommodation. Eating out, new outfits and Taylor-Swift-themed afterparties are also set to contribute to an overall boost of £997m to the UK economy. However, as anticipation has been high for the event - Swift last toured the UK six years ago - many fans missed out on UK tickets.

Swiftonomics

Kellogg's Factory Close

 

Kellogg's is to close its factory in Greater Manchester at the end of 2026 with the loss of about 360 jobs. Kellanova, which runs the cereal giant, made the announcement after the end of three-month talks with union and employee representatives. The firm said the negotiations had ended in a formal agreement with enhanced redundancy packages for staff at its Trafford Park plant and redeployment where possible. Kellanova first announced the potential closure of the 90-year-old base in February, citing its age and a "large amount of redundant space". About one million boxes of cereals including Corn Flakes, Rice Krispies, and Coco Pops are made there every day. Chris Silcock, UK managing director, said the closure was "nothing to do with the outstanding people" who work there.  Mr Silcock said the firm would soon begin exploring options for what will happen to the plant. Kellanova said it would aim to keep Kellogg's production volumes in the UK. The company’s Wrexham factories and headquarters in Salford's MediaCity, which currently employ about 1,000 people, will not be affected.

Kelloggs

Shein Supplier Concern

Workers for some suppliers of Chinese fast fashion giant Shein are still working 75 hours a week, despite the company promising to improve conditions, a report suggests. A new investigation by Swiss advocacy group Public Eye has followed up on its 2021 report, which found a number of staff across six sites in Guangzhou were doing excessive overtime. According to the group, who interviewed 13 employees from six factories in China supplying Shein for its latest investigation, excessive overtime was still common for many workers. Shein has grown rapidly since it was founded in 2008, and was one of many online businesses to boom during the Covid pandemic lockdowns. Its formula of offering a wide range of cheap clothes - backed up with campaigns on Instagram, TikTok and other social media - has turned it into one of the biggest fashion retailers in the world. It relies on thousands of third-party suppliers, as well as contract manufacturers, near its headquarters in Guangzhou, and is able to turn around a new item in a matter of weeks, rather than months. However, an employee who has worked at sewing machines for 20 years told Public Eye: “I work every day from 8 in the morning to 10.30 at night and take one day off each month. I can’t afford any more days off because it costs too much." Shein's Code of Conduct for its suppliers states that workers should not work longer than 60 hours a week, including overtime.

Shein

, external, externalwhich found a number of staff across six sites in Guangzhou were doing excessive overtime.According to the group, who interviewed 13 employees from six factories in China supplying Shein for its latest investigation, excessive overtime was still common for many workers. Shein has grown rapidly since it was founded in 2008, and was one of many online businesses to boom during the Covid pandemic lockdowns.Its formula of offering a wide range of cheap clothes - backed up with campaigns on Instagram, TikTok and other social media - has turned it into one of the biggest fashion retailers in the world.

Blue Pepsi

Pepsi has unveiled a new, limited-edition blue cola launch. Pepsi Electric boasts a “zesty, citrus taste with a striking blue liquid”, and is available for 12 months across the convenience, wholesale and grocery channels. Pepsi Electric is launching exclusively as a 500ml bottle format and is sugar-free. Pepsi Electric embodies shopper preferences for fresh, special edition flavours while incorporating the unmissable vibrant blue cola liquid, which will grab shopper attention at shelf and capture the next generation. Tying in with Pepsi’s Thirsty for More campaign, the pack design echoes the electric blue and black of the recent logo rebrand, alongside the signature Pepsi pulse – bringing the brand to life, ensuring consumer recognition and encouraging shoppers to make the most of this limited-edition flavour. Pepsi Electric is set to help retailers increase basket spend and tap into the flavoured cola segment, a market which is growing three times faster than unflavoured cola.
Pepsi Blue

100 Years in Business

 

A menswear shop in Taunton is marking its 100th anniversary. Gurds on Station Road opened in 1924 and has been owned and run by the same family since 1934. The shop, which was originally a pharmacy, still has many of the original fixtures and fittings, as well as a grade II listed storefront. "I don't think that great-grandpa would have thought that four generations later we would still be here," said Gurds owner Sarah Farnfield. "We have a lot of long-standing customers who have come since they were kids." Ms Farnfield took over running the shop - which has about 3,000 pairs of trousers - when her father retired last year. "It's quite a responsibility to take it on," Ms Farnfield said. "I'm the fourth generation and we'll see where it goes. We haven't really changed things in those four generations. "We are seeing younger generations, wedding parties. We're quite unique, we have a lot of stock. "We try to stay updated with current trends but we are a classic men's outfitters. It's worked for 100 years."

Gurds

Apple iPhone Sales Global Slump

 
Sales of iPhones have fallen in almost every market across the globe, according to the latest results from Apple. The technology giant said overall demand for its smartphones dropped by more than 10% in the first three months of this year, with sales falling in every geographic region except for Europe. Apple said that overall, revenues across the company declined by 4% to $90.8bn (£72.5bn), which was the biggest drop for more than a year. Nevertheless, the results were not as bad as expected and Apple's share price rose in after-hours trading in New York. The company said the figures were distorted by Covid-related supply disruptions, which led to unusually strong sales during the same period last year. It pledged that sales would return to growth in the months ahead, noting upcoming product launches and investments in artificial intelligence (AI). Competition in that market has been intensifying from local rivals such Huawei. Apple is also facing legal battles with regulators in the US and Europe over its app store fees.

iPhone Sales

Whitbread Cuts Jobs

 

Premier Inn owner Whitbread is to cut 1,500 jobs as it closes restaurants and expands its hotel business. It plans to cut its number of branded restaurants by more than 200 in favour of building more hotel rooms. The job cuts, which are subject to consultation, will come from a total UK workforce of 37,000 employees. The group's restaurant brands including Brewers Fayre and Beefeater. It plans to sell 126 of its less profitable restaurants, with 21 sales already having been agreed. It will also close 112 restaurants and convert the space into new hotel rooms. A spokesperson said that teams were being told about the cuts on Tuesday, and Whitbread would not say at this stage which restaurants were closing. Its catering brands also include Bar+Block, Thyme, Cookhouse+Pub, Table Table and Whitbread Inns. The food chains will be affected across the board, and closures will depend on where the restaurant is sited, rather than its brand. Whitbread said the changes would add more than 3,500 hotel rooms across its estate, and that the new hotel rooms would be served by unbranded restaurants. Dominic Paul, Whitbread's chief executive, said of the job cuts: "Sometimes businesses do need to make difficult decisions like this." However, he added: "I think we're doing it for absolutely the right reasons. It's going to support a material investment in this business and this country over the next few years." Referring to the job cuts, he said the decision was "really challenging for us. It's really important that we therefore handle that in the right way for our people." The moves are part of a three-year £150m cost-cutting programme.

Whitbread Job Cuts

Aldi Asked To Revise 'Ugly' Store

A decision on approving a new Aldi supermarket has been postponed after one councillor described the design as "ugly". The German chain wants to demolish a former car showroom in Amersham, Buckinghamshire, and build a two-storey shop. Buckinghamshire Council's planning committee voted to defer the application after a discussion that lasted nearly two hours. Elements of the plans which may now be revised include site deliveries, the external appearance of the building, and a right-hand turning lane into the site. The Local Democracy Reporting Service said some objectors questioned the need for another supermarket, given there is a Tesco superstore in Old Amersham and a Little Waitrose and M&S Simply Food in the town centre. However, John Catton, vice-chairman of the Amersham Society, a conservation and heritage group with 350 members, argued the town needed a new budget supermarket. He said the one proviso the society had was that Aldi’s proposed "blocky" building for London Road West should be more sympathetic to the area. Tesco has said the project would harm nearby Grade II listed buildings. More than 1,500 letters of support for the store had been received by the Conservative-controlled council, with only a couple dozen objections.

Ugly Aldi Shop

, external voted to defer the application after a discussion that lasted nearly two hoursElements of the plans which may now be revised include site deliveries, the external appearance of the building, and a right-hand turning lane into the site.